Rocks that set off metal detectors/pinpointers

[Bucket Lister]

Is there a list of rocks & minerals that will set off metal detectors?
I found such a stone today--it was infuriating!!!! 🤬

After several minutes of sifting through substrate with my pinpointer expecting to find another rusty square nail, all that was left was one stone. It doesn't set off the pinpointer like being in contact with a piece of metal, but it does set it off--like being a few inches away.

No, it's not being set off by my keys or pocket change--BT-DT. 😳

 

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[Bucket Lister]

So my thing about it is just this:
....

Dude. That's not a thing. That's a manifesto! 😲

Maybe copy it to your profile so you can point to it when people say you're nuts(?) 🤪

My girlfriend and I go out adventuring every week,

That sounds a bit like us... 50 years ago. 😝

We engage in foraging, scavenging, wildlife photography, relic hunting and other exploratory pursuits.

Yeah... exploratory pursuits... Is that what you kids call it today? 🤣

There's more I could say regarding why I go about it in that way but it boils down to logistics honestly.

No, it boils down to priorities. Nothing wrong with that; priorities can & do change. If you really wanted to take your detector, you'd find a way, as you already do. 😉

99% of the time I don't have time

People say they don't have time, or they can't find time. I say BS. I learned... A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.... if/when you really want something--or to make something happen--you MAKE the time.

Vive la différence! 😁

 

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Minelab PRO-FIND 35 Waterproof Pinpointer Metal Detector for Experts with Tone ID & Adjustable Sensitivity - Grab it through Amazon!

[webphut]

Is there a list of rocks & minerals that will set off metal detectors?
I found such a stone today--it was infuriating!!!! 🤬

After several minutes of sifting through substrate with my pinpointer expecting to find another rusty square nail, all that was left was one stone. It doesn't set off the pinpointer like being in contact with a piece of metal, but it does set it off--like being a few inches away.

No, it's not being set off by my keys or pocket change--BT-DT. 😳

Back in the 1990's I was gold detecting in an old placer mine outside Placerville, CA. One of the teachers that was with us showed us a really neat find, kind of like what you are describing. Anyways, long story short, that rock might have something inside of it. Have it opened up for inspection. You can wrap it in towel and break it up with a hammer, have a chemist dose it with sulfuric acid to eat the outer layers away. That teachers finding was a piece of quarts and he had a chemist dose the outside until there was a beautiful gold nugget exposed.

 

[Bucket Lister]

Back in the 1990's I was gold detecting in an old placer mine outside Placerville, CA. One of the teachers that was with us showed us a really neat find, kind of like what you are describing. Anyways, long story short, that rock might have something inside of it. Have it opened up for inspection. You can wrap it in towel and break it up with a hammer, have a chemist dose it with sulfuric acid to eat the outer layers away. That teachers finding was a piece of quarts and he had a chemist dose the outside until there was a beautiful gold nugget exposed.

Cool! That sounds apropos for Placerville. Unfortunately, this neck of the woods is not known for gold. The hot rocks I've been finding since starting this thread almost 5 months ago have been of only 3 varieties:

1. Coal clinkers
2. Graphite
3. Some pieces of old red brick

All are well-known hot rocks, and while it's a good thought, none have ever been large enough to be concealing anything--signals are never strong enough, and of the wrong timbre.

 

[LauraLou56]

Can't do that. Permission is in the village proper; throwing a rock would be unwise. I'm keeping this one for now.

Rutilated Herkimers? Ever seen one polished into a crystal ball? Gorgeous.

I second that, the really nice eighteen faced Herkimers are beautiful!

 

[LauraLou56]

A picture would be helpful. You sure it isn't a clinker (burned coal residue)? I find them in farm fields where old houses used to exist, looks like a black rock but extremely light. Clinkers can have a high iron and/or aluminum content and often set of the detector.

Well now, this right here just explained A LOT of my phantom pursuits...thank you Ism!

 

[Bucket Lister]

I second that, the really nice eighteen faced Herkimers are beautiful!

When I was just Nehi to a Coke bottle, I got to meet Bill Pinch in his home and see parts of his collection that weren't in museums at the time.

William Pinch - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

He showed me one 4"Ø crystal ball of gold rutilated quartz (not the one below, but similar) that I've never forgotten. (Actually, there's a lot about that evening I haven't forgotten!)

 

[LauraLou56]

When I was just Nehi to a Coke bottle, I got to meet Bill Pinch in his home and see parts of his collection that weren't in museums at the time.

William Pinch - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

He showed me one 4"Ø crystal ball of gold rutilated quartz (not the one below, but similar) that I've never forgotten. (Actually, there's a lot about that evening I haven't forgotten!)

View attachment 2174488

Awesome! Thank you for sharing! Took the kids last summer to the Herkimer diamond mine and found pieces- It sounds like you had quite the experience with William Pinch